I live in America but I am not an American citizen. I am an immigrant who has for the past few months heard talks from Trump about immigrants and women. I am both but I was hopeful that come November 8th 2016, I would never have to hear of it again beyond the many meme’s that are going to come out after Mr Trump’s defeat. I never for a second believed he could be the face of America. And then it happened. I watched his numbers rise steadily to the slow rise of Hillary Clinton. My worst nightmare was unfolding before my eyes and I couldn’t help but feel disgusted. Did I think Hillary was going to win? I hoped for it but I wasn’t sure because she was a woman. America has always talked about equality but as an electrical engineer in America, I have constantly been reminded that I am a woman in a man’s world. I have constantly been applauded for being smarter than most woman. Do I think it is a complement? Absolutely not! Watching Hillary fall to a man who has demeaned women with his words and actions, and treated them like a piece of meat assured me of how sexist a world we live in. It is not about Republican and Democrat. This election was more than that. It was about the many immigrants who have called America home for years, the women who thought they would finally see someone who looked like them and would represent them. Don’t we as women deserve a person who is us, who represents us? America has made a choice and whether we agree or disagree, it is reality.

As I was brainstorming ideas on what my first blog post ought to be, the creative person in me wanted to find an appropriate definition for immigrants in America. I found some cool ones which had the perfect definition on who an immigrant is- someone who left their country for another one. I also found ones where immigrants were portrayed as damsels in distress who were lured from their home countries into America. While that definition makes America seem like a predator lurking around the corner, we weren’t lured into America. We came here on our own terms because America was the land of opportunities. I say we because I am an immigrant who was lured into America by her parents. I grew up in India until I turned seventeen when I finally moved to America or California to be precise. California is the epitome of the melting pot culture that America stands for. Yet, even people in California have their preconceived notions about immigrants. I have been mistaken to have been born in America because I speak good English. I have been asked if I took a shower on the street in India because CNN or BBC decided to show slums in India as India to the world. I am not the only one who has had to battle these misconceptions. Most immigrants irrespective of their race, ethnicity, color of their skin have had to battle these misconceptions. Thus was born America Deconstructed the book and America Deconstructed blog.

America Deconstructed began as a conversation between two friends who joked about the misconceptions they faced as immigrants. Those college conversations took shape into a book years later. For the book we interviewed sixteen immigrants and have written about their journey into America and the life that followed. There are confusing coffee shop runs, to go or take out, Taliban, war, marriage, kids and even death. The book covers the human side of immigration and is filled with funny, embarrassing situations, humor, heartbreak and tears. We do not care about laws and policies. We care about the human experience behind immigration. America Deconstructed blog follows the same format of quirky cultural differences. If you want a light hearted, fun blog filled with loads of quirkiness to brighten your day or night, follow us. We strive to satisfy!